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Jørgen Thorsell and Didier Gonin are senior executives with Denmark-based Mannaz A/S. With offices in Denmark, Germany, Belgium and the UK, Mannaz is a leading European Executive Development and training consultancy. Between September 2008 and February 2009, and in partnership with the California-based Institute of Executive Development, Mannaz undertook a White Paper research project of current trends in Executive Development and leadership training.

Research into the management of the human resource function within organizations is based upon the assumption that it is a unitary function, operating in a single workplace or in a uniform manner across multiple workplaces within the organization. However, it has become increasingly common for organizations to subcontract specific services, including human resource activities.

I am opposed to the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act for the following reason: Unions have not demonstrated that their presence adds value to my business model, benefits to my customers and clients who keep me in business, and sustains my competitive advantage in a vastly uneven global playing field.

We have seen this happen over and over again: senior business managers make strong commitments to learning and personal skill improvement, but when something runs amiss with projected profits, all the promises and commitments disappear faster than lemmings rushing to the cliff edge. These behaviours send several signals to managers and employees…and the signals can be devastating over time.

They have become commonplace even in good times. Now, with fears of economic slowdown multiplying by the day, layoffs and downsizing appear likely to become even more commonplace, as employers seek the quick cost savings that is their chief allure. But this allure, new research finds, may turn out to mean grief not only for laid-off workers but for employers as well.